State Transportation officials are kicking off a campaign today aimed at making Iowans more aware of their own power to reduce wrecks and traffic deaths. DOT spokesman Jerry Dickinson says one goal of the program is to have a full week where no one is killed on roadways statewide. The most recently they achieved that was back in January, and before that it had been five years since the state went more than four days with no highway deaths. The campaign called “Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day” reminds motorists to drive as if their life depended on it. The DOT’s Dickinson cites a study that found 23% of crashes in the US were caused by inattention, factors like people eating, caring for children, putting on makeup, shaving, reading, putting in CDs and talking on cellphones while they also drive.
